Recent MSK Discoveries & Advances

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Recent MSK Discoveries & Advances

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Memorial Sloan Kettering researchers are relentlessly exploring every aspect of cancer — from basic investigations of cells and molecules to clinical trials of new treatments and population-wide studies of the disease. While our core mission is to translate this knowledge into new strategies to control cancer, many of our investigators are also making scientific progress against other diseases and conditions.

Below are some examples of discoveries and advances that recently were made in our laboratories and clinics, and featured in our news stories.

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375 News Items found
In the Clinic
Medical oncologist Mark Robson
Phase III Trial of Targeted Drug Shows Promise in Treating Metastatic Breast Cancer

Investigators found that olaparib extended progression-free survival by an average of three months in women with advanced breast cancer.
Finding
photo of sample blood vials
Could a Blood Test Detect Early-Stage Cancers?

A sensitive assay for detecting tumor DNA in the blood performed well in patients and may herald the development of a blood test for cancer screening.
In the Clinic
Three syringes stuck into an orange and white bull’s-eye
Drug Targeting Genetic Mutation Works across All Tumor Types

A drug effective in all cancer types with a mutation called a TRK fusion could be the first ever developed simultaneously in adults and children.
In the Clinic
Various kinds of nuts
Two Studies Link Healthy Habits to Increased Colon Cancer Survival

People who maintain a healthy lifestyle after surgery and chemotherapy for colon cancer are more likely to have a favorable outcome after treatment.
In the Lab
Left-handed and right-handed KRas molecules
Mirror-Image Chemistry Enables New Approach for Targeting an “Undruggable” Cancer-Causing Protein

MSK chemists are focusing on developing small-molecule drugs to target KRas, an important cancer protein.
In the Lab
Scientists at the Sloan Kettering Institute are learning why some immune cells are stubbornly hard to revive with immunotherapy.
Why Immune Cells Sometimes Fail to Fight Cancer (and What to Do about It)

By looking at how DNA is packaged in cells, scientists are teasing apart a long-standing conundrum about the immune response to cancer.
Mount Rushmore viewed through face-detection software.
Making a Splash: Researchers Apply Face-Detection Technology to the Study of Genes

Taking a cue from smartphone technology, scientists are using face-recognition algorithms to improve RNA interference.
In the Lab
A cell in the process of dividing
New Study Shows How Wayward Chromosomes Get Back on Track

MSK researchers are learning how cells are able to recognize and correct errors that occur during cell division.
In the Lab
An illustration of CRISPR-Cas9
A Cut Above: MSK-Developed Software Makes CRISPR More Precise

A freely accessible software program provides researchers with an easy way to optimize a popular genome-editing tool.
In the Clinic
Image of liver with tumors
Pumped Up: Implanted Chemotherapy Device Improves Survival when Colorectal Cancer Spreads to the Liver

A retrospective study from MSK has found that colorectal cancer patients with liver metastases live an average of two years longer when they receive an additional treatment called hepatic arterial infusion (HAI).